Happy Birthday, Winston!

June 30, 2012 by Robin Ellis

Winston as a Cornish gent, eagerly awaiting his debut as an extra in the second series of Poldark!

Today would have been Winston Graham’s 104th birthday!

He was born in 1908 in Manchester. His family moved to Perranporth in Cornwall in 1925 after his father died prematurely at 53.

There he married Jean Williamson–whom he’d first met when she was 13 (Demelza’s age when she first met Ross at the fair). He was just 18. They lived there for the next 25 years, bringing up their two children, Andrew and Rosamund.

Winston–a meticulous researcher as well as a great storyteller–steeped himself in Cornish history and customs. He wrote the first book of the saga–Ross Poldark--in 1945.

Eleven more books followed. The last in the saga– Bella Poldark–written when he was 92!

A month ago I checked out the Desert Island Discs archive ( a popular BBC radio series where guests choose eight recordings to comfort them after supposedly being shipwrecked on a desert island) . I remembered vaguely that Winston had been the subject some time around the screening of the series.

I found it and enjoyed listening to his choice and being reminded of his voice.

Last week when sitting with my back to his son Andrew–whose 70th birthday we had gone to Corfu to celebrate–I heard a voice say–“and what are you going to do this afternoon?”.

It was uncanny–the voice and the intonation were Winston’s!

Winston and Jean at our wedding in 1990.

I will always feel appreciative of Winston for writing such a wonderful tale that has meant so much in my own life.

Posted in other sides to this life, Poldark, Robin Ellis | Tagged Poldark, winston graham, Winston Graham's birthday | 36 Comments »

GI and GL–again! (2nd time lucky after an earlier version was published by accident)

June 29, 2012 by Robin Ellis

Our friend Deming emailed with a link to an interview on CBS’s This Morning programme with Dr. David Ludwig from Boston’s Children’s Hospital where he discusses a new study on the effects of a low glycemic diet.

To quote from the CBS website:

The study, published on June 27 in The Journal of the American Medical Association, says that low-glycemic diets that compliment a person’s changing metabolism are the best at helping keep the pounds off.

It’s better to view the video before reading the text. Dr Ludvig is clear and concise.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57461950-10391704/low-glycemic-index-diet-may-be-best-at-keeping-off-pounds/

The Glycemic Index— a measure, on the scale of 1 to 100, ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels and thus their post-meal impact.

The Glycemic Load–a measure of the impact of the glucose in a single portion of food.

Speaking for myself, the GI and the GL have been good friends as guides to everyday eating. Though I now take a pill a day, I credit them ( and regular exercise) with allowing me to control the condition for six years without medication.

Posted in Diabetes, Food, Robin Ellis | Tagged boston children's hospital, cbstv's early morning, dr david lustig, Glycemic Index, glycemic load, the american medical association | 6 Comments »

The Supreme Court Ruling

June 28, 2012 by Robin Ellis

The Supreme Court Of America confirms the legality of the Affordable Care Act.

The American Diabetic Association just issued this statement on the Supreme Court Ruling on the Affordable Care Act.

Why was the law needed?

Under the old health care system, it was legal to deny health insurance to people with diabetes or force them to pay more for insurance coverage simply because they had diabetes.

Even for people who had insurance coverage, their plans sometimes didn’t cover the most basic diabetes needs, leaving them with large expenses in addition to the cost for insurance.

This lack of affordable access to care led many people to forgo the care they needed to prevent, delay or slow the progression of diabetes.

That meant cutting back on – or even going without – the doctor visits, insulin, medicines and test strips necessary to managing diabetes.

As a result, many people ended up suffering needlessly from diabetes complications that might have been prevented had medical care been available to them earlier.

I have diabetes. What does the ACA mean for me?

The ACA has many important provisions that impact people with diabetes, including rules about pre‐existing conditions, lifetime limits on benefits, drug costs, and programs aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes.

In 2014, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny coverage because a person has a pre‐existing condition such as diabetes.

Will I have to pay more for my insurance coverage because of my diabetes?

Once the ACA is fully implemented in 2014, insurers will no longer be allowed to charge higher rates because you have diabetes.

The statement goes into more detail about the effects the ruling will have in the lives of those adults and children already diagnosed with diabetes and those who are yet to find out.

http://www.diabetes.org/assets/pdfs/advocacy/health-reform-qa.pdf?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=062812-SCOTUS-decision&utm_campaign=AHEALTH

There are 80 million undiagnosed diabetics in the USA and 26 million who have diagnosed.

This is an historic day for them.

Posted in Diabetes, other sides to this life | Tagged affordable care act, american diabetic association, supreme court ruling | 38 Comments »

Green beans with garlic and ginger

June 27, 2012 by Robin Ellis

Where am I?, I wondered, waking this morning.

Still in Corfu? It was hot enough at 7 am.

I quickly established that I was in France by looking out of the window.

No sign of the Albanian hills or the infinity pool.

Back to earth! But hot! hot! hot!

At the end of the garden though it was cool enough to tie up the tomato plants that had grown as much as the chickens in our week away.

The bees were still snoozing so it was safe to sit on a stool and talk to the plants!

Then off to Réalmont and its Wednesday market.

I’d missed the markets–they are rare in Corfu.

This is green bean time and here on the stalls they are piled high–picked last night I am assured.

a pile of beans

Joy!

Cooked enough to be tender, yet still a vibrant green–but not too much so that they become flabby and dull in color. It’s hard to tire of them.

It’s always good to discover new ways to cook them.

I spotted this simple recipe in The New York Times a few weeks back. As I’d bought half a kilo of new season garlic and ginger this morning, Give it a go!, I thought.

My slightly adapted version

for 4

1lb green beans— topped, (no need to tail)

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cloves of new garlic-– (or the best looking you can find)

a large thumbnail size piece of ginger–peeled and chopped small

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Have a bowl of cold water ready to plunge the cooked beans into.
Pound the garlic, ginger and a teaspoon of salt into a pulp.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.
Add the beans and cook them until almost tender to the bite–(a pair of cooking tongs comes in handy here to whip a bean out for a bite test).
When you judge they’re ready, transfer them quickly into the bowl with the cold water–to stop them cooking further.
Drain them and leave to dry a little.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan.
Add the beans and the gorgeous garlic and ginger gunge.
Over a gentle heat turn the beans in the mixture until they are nicely heated through.
Taste them and add more salt if needed.

We had them for lunch today…

with a butterflied pork chop–of which more later….

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes | Tagged albanian hills, corfu, garlic, ginger, green beans, infinity pools | 11 Comments »

Zorba lives–in Sinies…!

June 25, 2012 by Robin Ellis

Alan Bates (very young innocent 1950’s sounding English voice):

“Are you married?“

Anthony Quinn (very gruff, worldly 1950’s Greek-sounding voice):

“Am I married?–I have a HOUSE, a WIFE, CHILDREN–the full CATASTROPHE!”

It’s a sequence I’ve been dining out on ever since I saw the film in the Sixties.

Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates start to dance in the final scene of Zorba the Greek.

Roll forward to Sunday morning in “our” nearby village and a group of youngsters ( late teens for the most part) are gathering for a final dance rehearsal.

They’re leaving at five this evening for an international dance festival in San Sebastian on the north east Atlantic coast of Spain.

Along one wall of the rehearsal hall–below the many colorful photos of dances and costumes– the neat pile of suitcases is growing.

The level of chatter from the excited young dancers is getting louder–many of the group are probably leaving Greece for the first time.

Meredith sat opposite Maria–the mother of one of the dancers and also a member of the troupe–two nights ago, at a seaside taverna dinner given by our hostess, Peggotty, for Corfiot friends, made over the many years she and Andrew have been coming to Corfu for holidays.

When Meredith asked Maria where she could see some authentic Greek folk dances, Maria had a whispered exchange with nearby friends at the table then turned back to Meredith and said that if she liked, she could come to the final rehearsal on Sunday at the hall in Sinies.

The answer to her prayers!

By ten it’s already hot as locals and holiday makers come by to collect their day’s bread supply from the village store opposite the rehearsal hall.

Word has got round our group and it has grown like Topsy–the final rehearsal is turning into a non-dress performance–not a bad thing perhaps for the young dancers to experience a real audience.

Inside the hall it’s sweltering, as the three musicians (accordionist, balalaika player and guitarist) start to play

and the informally dressed dancers begin to circle,

under the encouraging eye of Ioannis Vlahos, one of the best dance teachers in Corfu– we are told.

For the next hour they run through their repertoire.

It’s an impressive display.

The assurance and ease of movement, the lightness of touch and the commitment to a tradition is delightful to watch.

Then after a pause to catch their breath and drink some water they regroup for the final dance–ZORBA!

As we approached Corfu Town on our way to the airport just before six that evening, a big tourist coach passed us at speed on the dual carriageway.

In the back window a large sign announced it was carrying members of THE CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF SINIES! They were on their way!

Posted in other sides to this life | Tagged alan bates, anthony quinn, balalaika, corfu, san sebastian, sinies, the cultural association of sinies, zorba the greek | 13 Comments »

Greek Salad–a week of test drives!

June 23, 2012 by Robin Ellis

Red, pink, pale green, darker green, purple/black and white are the colors looking up at you from the bowl on the table. Add the dressing and turn the contents over and your fork will start jabbing in–involuntarily.

Tomatoes, cucumber (peeled or unpeeled), peppers (red or green), sweet (red) onion, black olives, feta cheese, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper.

A glass of retsina, blue blue sky, a dry summer heat, a swimming pool or blue blue sea.

The first nine ingredients are the essentials, the last five are preferable–but not obligatory–as they are not always available!

It works best if the tomatoes and cucumber are sun-ripe and juicy but the contrasting tastes of the feta, the olives, olive oil, vinegar and seasoning make this national dish worth eating anytime, anywhere.

Chunks, curls, slices and slabs lend a spirit of generosity to the brimming bowls presented here in Corfu.

The olives here in Corfu are the kalamata variety, similar to the small black olives that feature in that other summer wonder–Salade Niçoise. Their faint bitterness balances the sweetness of the tomatoes and cucumber.

The grilled sardines–small but meaty–arrived on a large plate, filling it from edge to edge.

I put down the knife and fork in the end and ate them with my fingers. It took a while.

Greek salad would have made a simple, clean and contrasting accompaniment with or without the cheese–no room though!

Posted in Food, other sides to this life, Recipes | Tagged feta cheese, greek salad, Kalamata olives, salade nicoise, sardines | 16 Comments »

Go (to) Greece!

June 22, 2012 by Robin Ellis

Seven o’clock and the sun has just risen over the Albanian mountains, catching the white headboard of a ferry out in the channel moving east for Athens or Igoumenitsa with a precious cargo of holiday makers, ready to spend their euros in the shops, hotels and restaurants of this troubled country.

There was an election here on Sunday–a critical one that could decide whether Greece stays in the eurozone–even whether the eurozone itself survives! But none of the razzmatazz and frenzy of an American or English election day.

Greeks we asked about it in Corfu Town summoned up little interest and we saw not a single sign indicating a polling station.

The Corfiots (the name the locals go by) we were told, leave town on a Sunday and head for their villages where they vote if they have a mind to.

Two friends who arrived from Athens reported the same thing in the capital; the town felt empty, they said.

Not much activity either in the Internet Café on the beach.

Just us and two busy swallow parents dashing back and forth under the beams of the terrace feeding their nest of youngsters.

(Our waiter told us it’s considered bad luck in Greece ever to remove a swallow nest.)

Only a scattering of sunbathers along the stony beach, making it feel more like the Costa Brava my parents took us to in 1953—unspoiled and beautiful.

But Lloret del Mar back then was supporting a mere five hotels and a few bars—nothing as remotely needy of tourism and trade as this beautiful part of Corfu today.

Another ferry on its way–

Let’s hope those two empty loungers above will be occupied next week!

Posted in other sides to this life | Tagged corfu, corfu town, ferries, igoumenitsa, swallows | 10 Comments »

Islands in the sun…

June 20, 2012 by Robin Ellis

Meredith’s shot of the mountains of central Corsica–soon after taking off from Toulouse and heading east on our secret mission with a Poldark connection…

Elba–Napoleon’s home for a while and where the Ellis family had a holiday in 1962–is quickly followed by…

…the island of Giglio with last year’s wreck of the Concordia lying on its side, just visible, looking like a child’s white coffin.

Then leaving Italy at Brindisi and approaching our destination, the island of Corfu–hoping the secret will hold until Tuesday evening when the celebrant should get the surprise of his life!

The view (below)–Albania–from the location where all was revealed last night and our subject was duly astonished that such a thing could be achieved.

PLOT revealed!

Andrew Graham–Winston’s son–is 70 today and Peggotty his wife summoned friends from far and wide (Texas and Melbourne–Sydney, Bath and Lautrec) to bear witness and celebrate with a Surprise Party.

She did it for his 40th, his 50th and his 60th.

As Andrew arrived on the empty terrace of the villa last night, one by one, familiar faces popped up from hiding….

“She’s done it again and I had no idea!”

Today all 19 co-conspirators are all feeling self-satisfied and relieved.

Mission Accomplished!

Now let’s go for a swim…

Posted in other sides to this life, Poldark | 8 Comments »

In the air–

June 18, 2012 by Robin Ellis

on a secret mission…!

Posted in other sides to this life | 17 Comments »

A bowl of raspberries

June 14, 2012 by Robin Ellis

Marie A Bright wrote plaintively on Facebook yesterday after the post on Sugar:

What if you have a sweet tooth but don’t want to use sugar? I know artificial sweeteners are no good either but sometimes, you want a bit of sweet. Robin, I know you don’t really have a sweet tooth and you are so lucky but is there anything out there that is natural but not harmful to your health? Thanks.

Without much reflection I suggested a square of 80-90% cacao chocolate, a slice of apple, a dried fig or apricot or a bowl of raspberries.

It is the season–supposedly! Summer arrives officially in a week, though it’s hard to credit.

I’d bought a small punnet yesterday in a new vegetable & fruit shop in Castres.

They looked good–but not exactly home grown.

But mixed in with some Realmont Market strawberries from a trusted source–they made a colorful addition to my breakfast bowl and lifted the spirits.

Soon after, from somewhere in deep cover in the garden, Meredith announced :

“We have raspberries!” Hardly a bowl of them yet, but thanks to the rain and now the sunshine we live in hope.