Church WITH bells

A heavy knock on the door yesterday,

“The knock of authority,” Meredith said.

Sure enough, the village policeman was standing there–in his uniform–looking a little nervous.

He’d come, he said, to inform us that a firm of builders would arrive at eight the following morning [today] to enlever les cloches de l’église.

This was not news to us.

The building firm—a family of four: father, mother and two sons, all of whom turn up—had already paid us a courtesy visit the day before to warn us that they’d been employed to do the deed.

“We’re coming to get you!”

We knew them–because months ago, we had engaged them to put in a gate in the driveway, to send a message to potential buyers of the church, that the approach belonged to us and that access was extremely problematical.

They’d never returned to do the job–a dispute with the electrician they told us–so when we finally had our offer for the church accepted by the Mairie of Lautrec, back in August, we were happy not to have become a “gated” site.

We were told the bells were not included in the sale as they belong to the parish– and were scheduled to be removed.
Makes some sense (bells are for ringing), though disappointing–especially to Meredith, whom I suspect is a campanologist (bell ringer) manquée and may have had plans to ring them on Independence Day and Thanksgiving every year!

She put up a good fight–rattling the cages in French of anyone who might have an influence–but it was a lost cause.

The job (evil deed, according to MW) was done this morning in the pouring rain–adding to the feeling of tristesse.

On ground level and close up, the bells look virtually unscathed.

A macabre twist on a sad morning: resting on the front left “eye”of the smaller bell, was a dead mole (!), appearing to cling on for dear life–as keen as we were to hang on to the bells. The prey of a hawk most likely, stored for dinner–plus tard!

Date on the smaller bell, 1821–six years after the battle of Waterloo!

We still are waiting for the Archdiocese of Albi to deconsecrate the church so that we can complete the purchase.

It has been a long wait.

Now that the bells have gone to a new life (we hope!) and the interior is shorn of its statuary and pews, the church is an empty shell.

In the right light it remains impressive though….

Benches on the move…

Church WITHOUT bells

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Just back from filming two scenes in the second series of Poldark on location in deepest Wiltshire.

Footwarmers supplied for the long day in court–and they work!

Didn’t make the Reverend Doctor Halse any more warm-hearted–mean old thing–though he didn’t have it all his own way–Francis  and Ross see to that!

Weary and happy to be home.

Keen NOT to go shopping for lunch this morning!

Look in the fridge and find half a cabbage and half a large leek, a couple of carrots and celery stalks–battuto/sofrito!* 

Some half-cooked fresh tomatoes are in there too–preserved under a film of olive oil.

A large jar of white beans is on the shelf in the larder.

Eureka!

Enough to make a reduced version of the recipe reproduced below.

White Bean Soup with Cabbage from Healthy Eating for Life

An autumn/winter soup this–with a big presence.

Adapted from Leslie Forbes’ book:  A Table in Tuscany.

 for 4

2 carrots--chopped small

2 sticks of celery–chopped small

2 leeks–cleaned and chopped small

6 tbsp olive oil

3/4 tinned tomatoes–chopped up with their liquid

A sprig of fresh thyme

1 large garlic clove–pulped

Half a green cabbage–stem removed and shredded

The other half of the cabbage shredded thinly–this for a topping (see below)

1 tbsp olive oil

About 800gms/24oz  cooked white beans–canned or bottled or dried, soaked and cooked (see p?), drained but their liquid retained

1 pint/500ml stock–I use organic vegetable stock cubes

 

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sweat the celery, leeks and carrots until they are tender–about twenty minutes.

Mix in the tomatoes, garlic and thyme and let them cook on for five minutes.

Add the cabbage, season with salt and pepper and cook on for ten minutes.

Purée three-quarters of the beans in a mixer with a little of their liquid.

Add the bean water and the bean purée to the soup and stir it all together.

Cook this thick mix for an hour–stirring it regularly to stop it sticking and burning.

Add a little of the stock each time you stir it.

This is meant to be a thick soup–up to you how loose you make it–just be careful not to dilute the depth of taste.

While the soup cooks on sauté the rest of the cabbage to serve as a topping when you present the soup.

Serve hot with swirls of the best olive oil you have.

*A battuto or sofrito is a flavor-base of finely chopped raw ingredients. Battuto is a derivative of the Italian, battere, which means ‘to strike,’and describes the a chef’s knife chopping on a cutting board.

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