Hips, Lovage, Heat & Banks
Lovage
Lovage: The only good part of the title. I can’t believe I’ve gone 39 years without it. It looks like big flat leaf parsley but with a much stronger celery-like flavour. Just a bit of it can transform a sauce. Just amazing with fish. Or anywhere that you think a super-intense celery taste might work. Very easy to grow, which you’ll have to do as I’ve never seen it in shops.
Banks: The woman at the bank today told me they’re no longer going to allow cash withdrawals at the teller. And that the maximum at the cash machine is €450 per withdrawal with a €1000 cap per seven day period. I did not react well. I organise my life as to leave the house as little as possible. Part of that is not having to go to the bank to get money more than once a month. I told them that if they can’t accommodate me I’ll find another bank that will. It’s unbelievable that apart from us paying them for the privilege of them holding on to our money, now we can’t even access it as we see fit.
Heat: It’s hot.
Hips: Mike is at the hospital having a consult with an orthopaedic surgeon. He needs a hip replacement. It’s an easy routine operation these days. I had one after a car accident years ago. It still works. Mike’s been limping a bit even though I told him to stop because it’s undignified. He says he can’t help it. He’s a complainer. When he fell from the stairs in Spain he moaned all the way to the hospital. I’ve never understood why people make noise when injured. It seems counterproductive. Aren’t you alerting predators that you’re vulnerable?
My Mazamet 
I have a huge lovage plant that’s been going for years and it’s gorgeous to eat. I make my own pasto with it and it works so well in salads or in a curry. I think it tatses like a bit like curry and celery myself and what an aroma! So many people have never heard of it. I’m glad you’re in on the secret.
“Mike’s been limping a bit even though I told him to stop because it’s undignified. He says he can’t help it. He’s a complainer.” – He’s a lucky man to have found you Mr Pink. Hahahahahaha. Have you thought of hiding him in the basement? Making a show of you like that in public. How thoughless of him. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
– Esme falling about holding her sides and wishing Mike all the good luck she has upon the Cloud
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How long does it take lovage to be huge? I started mine in March and they’re still under a foot tall. Should I plant them in the ground?
And yes, he IS lucky! When he fell from the stairs I had to do absolutely everything for months. Gardening, shopping, cleaning, laundry, the pool, cooking, driving him to physiotherapy three times a week 😛
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Did you push him? Hahahahaha.
Yes, put it in the ground, mine thrives in a very shady spot and grows like crazy but nothing that can’t be managed. March? I think a year will be enough to get it going. You’re impatient aren’t you dear? *laughs* Once it’s established the more you cut the more grows.
– Esme looking like Colombo upon the Cloud
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Everyone asks that 😛
We were going down the steps (which had no handrails) and I was first, so I was surprised to see him arrive before me.
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Great post, Pink. This is what we want and expect from you. More please.
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Oooh, I have an interesting question for you. Everyone talks about reducing their carbon footprint, right? In that vein, do we not also have a moral duty to reduce our financial footprint? To try to take less out of the pool?
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Fuck. Just when I thought you were on the right track. High-calibre whinging’s your thing! Nobody does it better; baby you’re the best. 😉 Anyway, I’m a lefty, a socialist, a redistributor, a taxer of wealth, so earn what you want but just pay your taxes — as I’m sure you do. 🙂 I don’t see any matter of ‘moral duty’ in your question, assuming your wealth creation isn’t exploiting others. What do you think, does your wealth sometimes feel like an unfairness?
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Not mine in particular. It’s a discussion I was having with Mike’s actor friends on how people monopolise work in the entertainment industry. Instead of being just presenter, or just a radio host, once people achieve a certain level of celebrity (now) they use that to take as much work as they can leaving the field closed to others.
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What pool? All I can see is a puddle.
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Like you said, the entertainment industry. In dust realization, as Pinkies of old used to say. I suppose that business is less about labour arbitrage than most others, but it’s still about maximising unearned profits for shareholders, and labour (the entertainers) are the tools that capital uses. It chews them up and spits them out, in a faddy kinda way, the lucky ones getting their 15 minutes. Who are they now, over here in England? I don’t know, that Benedict bloke and that Olivia woman. Are they really a cut above? Probably not, but we’re made to believe they are, herded into buying the product they become the face of.
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I think it might be a broader question. Once a person reaches a certain level of *contentment*, shouldn’t they step aside and leave the path open for other people? At some point shouldn’t we say, “this is enough for me.”
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Ah, well I think that if one is truly in a state of contentedness, in its deepest sense, then desire is absent, totally absent. Preference remains, and that’s an important distinction; one doesn’t become ascetic unless it was one’s innately given state. But if we think Cumberbatch and Colman should ‘step aside’, as you say, then the spaces only get occupied by the next in line, those who serve the exact same purpose, so it doesn’t achieve very much in the scheme of things. That said, if we can work towards eradicating or minimising our own cupidity and enmity then that lessens the sum total in the world, which is a noble objective, surely? But until such shifts in consciousness become paradigmatically realised over societies as a whole (idealistic, I know), then the usual play of human greed and aversion goes on for all those who are not truly content within life. Everyone has a choice, but oddly, it’s made beyond the scope of our own volition. You might become a monk, but if you do, it would be a mistake to think you decided to; all you did was confirm intellectually what was going to happen anyhow. It’s weird.
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We brought our lovage plant over in the suitcases when we moved…it likes a sheltered spot butotherwise is as happy as it was in France.
Brilliant when cooking a crab.
Banks know that once your money is in their clutches it is their money….governments and banks are happy to join together to control us. My lawyer here is having fit at the idea that he can only be paid by bank card…..but as it will take the taxman about ten years to get round to matching up the card to the case he will be retired before he needs to worry. Unless he upsets someone important.
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Oh how I miss the disorganisation of hacienda 😀
We’d barely arrived in France and they were already sending us a *welcome* letter.
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Re “I’ve never understood why people make noise when injured. It seems counterproductive. Aren’t you alerting predators that you’re vulnerable?” I’ve never understood why people scream when surprised or frightened for the same reason. Shouldn’t a call for help be more directed?
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Regarding hips: if Mike has an operation, my humble recommendation is he take the medication to stay ahead of the pain during recovery. My husband has had two replacements. He was macho and miserable for the first, and sensible and virtually pain-free for the second. We were both much happier the second time around.
Hmm, totally unrelated, a bit cheeky on my part, and possibly inappropriate (trust you’ll advise if so) … I’ll be in Mazamet soon to look at a couple of properties. Do you know any amazing realtors?
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After the stairs incident, he was difficult with medication at first. Then the physio began and he was begging for pain killers 😀
I know the people at the two biggest agencies in town. Agence Lopez and Agence Reberga. We saw properties with both of them, but in the end we decided the people at Lopez were much more straightforward. If you’d like an introduction to them I’m happy to help, they manage our rental apartments for us.
What sort of place are you looking for, I read the property classifieds regularly, so I have a pretty good idea of what’s on the market and if it’s in a good location.
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I thought you pushed Mike. I see you didn’t.
Why do people shout when they are hurt, to get all the sympathy you can extract from people.
Well, that’s banks for you
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Tom Stoppard wrote a play called “Lettice and Lovage”.
On evolution, perhaps you cry out because you have all the adrenaline, or whatever, you brain is whizzing but you can’t run? Screaming lets the emotion out.
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I imagine that in fear or surprise it serves (sort of) to surprise or cause fear to the animal that surprised us.
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You’re in fine form today Pink. A healthy dose of your brand of sunshine is all I need to lift my mood. I’m going to have to research lovage, am using celery and its leaves in smoothies and summer salads.
From time to time could we hear Mike’s side of the story? I’m not sure you’re a reliable witness
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You must try it. A little bag of seeds is less than a dollar, it sprouts easily and does well in cooler climates too.
Mike isn’t allowed a voice here!
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I grew up with lovage, the herb of all Romanian savoury dishes. Have a pot on windowsill, care for it like for a royalty 🤓🖖💐
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Yes! I read that it’s extremely popular in Eastern Europe and was also Charlemagne’s favourite herb. I just don’t understand how/why it’s not a staple in Western Europe now?
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I guess one needs to know cooking dishes which would allow for it. As I said it’s best to savoury, sour dishes, anything which would allow for lemon, tomatoes, egg plant, etc. But it’s an acquired taste, somewhat like tarragon 🤓
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when we moved to the house we are in now, we found a lovage plant. I had never encountered it before. It certainly is super-celery and I found it awful, stinking me up when I tried to weed around it. It finally went away. Perhaps I’d appreciate it more now.
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It does have to be used sparingly or it becomes overpowering.
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I’ve never tried lovage, but will certainly give it a go, as I love celery.
Banks…don’t get me started. I have more problems in banks than anywhere else. Over here, my bank has hardly any branches where a cashier gives you money,you have to use a machine, even for paying in.My daily allowance is £250, which is usually ok. Then they are always pouncing to try to persuade me to use internet banking. No chance, I don’t trust it.Or they want to sell me something. I used to work for a bank, so I know how they work and refuse to be obliging (often the staff get a bonus for each product they can ‘sell’ a customer).
Heat…33C would finish me off. I struggle with 25C.
Hips…I think you are being mean to poor Mike, & he should moan & limp all he likes if it makes him feel better. Not everyone can be brave.
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You have banks with actual people where you withdraw physical money? =-O
I can barely remember what physical money look like anymore.
Regarding the hip, I must defend Mike from my medical point of view. It is pretty much impossible to keep from limping. The body does it to keep you from further damage. Asking someone with an intact nervous system not to limp is like asking them to keep their hands pressed on a warm plate. The reflexes simply kick in.
And that’s a good thing. People that don’t feel the damage usually damage themselves further.
One common example is people with diabetic neuropathy. People with advanced diabetes have to check their feet regularly, partly because they don’t feel the pain of any wounds. They also won’t adjust the way they walk if they have an injury and that leads to further damage.
So stop being so mean.
And I imagine there are good reasons for why we cry out when injured. For one, if a predator is the one causing the injury, crying out might startle them and give you the upper hand (as was already commented on above).
Secondly, if you were injured when no predator is nearby, the advantage of calling for help far outweighs the risk of predators hearing you. It doesn’t help that you’re safe from predators if you’re lying alone in a ditch with an injured leg.
Not to mention, that shouting and cursing has a good mental effect that helps us focus on something else.
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We do have banks with people and where they even know us by name 🙂 And they want to end all of that by making everything automatic with machines. And with the machines come these simplistic rules.
Mike ended up scheduling his surgery for August and insists that just the idea of it has made him feel less pain (and limp less)…
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The placebo effect can be powerful indeed, though it might be that the pain is just getting less with time as it usually does.
Machines are taking over yes. Didn’t you get the memo? :). You should welcome our new overlords.
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