Friday morning we were all warned that pasta day equals chaos in the kitchen, and that we were all to stay focused. I had a moment of panic thinking to myself… I haven’t packed, I need to shower, and I HAVE to be ready to leave the school at 2:00. Right to it, I started to shape my sour dough as I made my pasta dough and kneaded it, next I started the tomato sauce, béchamel, ricotta mixture, cooked my spinach and sweated the onion for the spinach layer. Then it was time to roll my pasta and cut lasagna noodles, bake my sour dough, and assemble my lasagna. Just before 12:00, my lasagna was in the oven, and I asked my teacher, Grace if I could run home to get my chores done before heading off to London. I had a lunchtime duty to run back to as well, tidying the weigh up area after the chaos that is The Ballymaloe students. Michael picked me up at 2:00 and we headed into Cork, I wish all airports were as wonderful as The Cork airport – it’s tiny, you get through security quickly, and you don’t have to walk miles. I sat down in the lounge, had a pint of Guiness and did my order of work for Monday. I am in Kitchen 1 again, and my partner is… Hannah! I can’t wait, will be a great week.
I landed in London just after 5, headed to the hotel to meet mum and dad, and then mum and I were off for our dinner reservation at The Pantechnicon. I had a little lay in this morning, my first glass of milk in eight weeks, dad headed off to The National Gallery and mum and I to do some shopping. Have I told you lately how much I love London? We did a bit of damage in our go to shops, bought some Irish Farmhouse Cheese at Neil’s Yard, had a delicious lunch at Home Slice with the most massive bottle of wine (we didn’t drink it all, they measured it with a ruler to charge us – what a great concept?!), dropped everything off back at the ranch, and then dad and I went to the Little Waitrose around the corner. So… I love Ireland, I love London, and my life would REALLY be complete if I could live somewhere with Waitrose and John Lewis. We had a quick nibble cheese, crackers (you know the ones we have at the sour dough parties with our Gubbeen?), rocket, olives, salami, and of course a glass of wine. Then it was off to Matilda, what a brilliant show. The set, the chorography, the music, the story, and the kids! So glad we were able to see it.
Mum and dad are off earlyish tomorrow, so I will spend the day wandering, then it’s back to my home in Shanagarry to prepare for the week. I am looking so forward to next weekend in Galway with Mary, then it’s off to The Netherlands to see Sarah, Ferg, Mary and the kiddos, then it is… My last weekend in Ireland, which I am sure will be spent preparing for the exams, packing up, and tidying the house. Tomorrow is March 1st, which means (very sadly), that the countdown to being back in E-Town is on. Where have the last eight weeks gone?
“If you’re good, life is good.” – Roald Dahl, Matilda