Saturday 6th February

I was invited this week to lunch at a girlfriend’s. I really can’t remember the last time I went to someone for lunch.  It’s a girlfriend I have known for over 30 years and she persuaded me, (yes very sad to realise that I need convincing to leave my desk and accept an invitation) seeing as I had no guests I thought I would take advantage of the situation.

There were four of us and the age range was 40-84, my friend had met them via dog walking and we all had so much to talk about.  We were all dog owners, but we had many other common interests, it was a very enjoyable lunch and the conversation lively.  I love having such a diverse age range as we can always learn from each other.  I always like to bring something for the host and I took her one of my favourite room infusers by Illumens which I bought in Barbed in Barnes. 

I also did a house visit this week and had difficulty parking near the Heaver Estate due to a film being shot starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan. The house being used has been made into a B&B, according to the guys working on site, the film is set in Belfast and is called the Foreigner!

This made me smile and when passing the security staff who were keeping an eye on all the vehicles and equipment, I told them that I ran a B&B up the road! There were so many crew members in the street as well as their vehicles and a food truck – it was hard to spot any actors but there were several people carrying cameras, lighting and a boom microphone. 

Apparently there are two films being filmed in the street and Tooting is a very popular location for film companies. I have seen a commercial on TV for baby food that was shot at the café on Tooting Bec Common so it’s quite exciting to know that we have become a hotspot for the film industry!

This week a friend dropped in for the night and a catch up before he headed back home to the US. Paul made an amazing Moroccan tagine and I made a rocket salad with grilled peppers.  I am sorry in the excitement of seeing our friend I forgot to take a picture of the salad but I do have a picture of grilling one of the peppers.  I will give you the recipe for the salad as it is quite delicious sprinkled with sesame seeds as a topping.

 Recipe

1 Bag of Rocket

½ Box of Cherry Tomatoes (quartered)

1 Cucumber (peeled, deseeded & chopped)

1 Avocado (peeled & chopped)

2 Large Tablespoons of Fresh Pomegranate

OR 

2 Large Tablespoons of Carrot (freshly grated)

Dressing

Argon oil (drizzled over the salad)

Juice of 1 Lemon

Tablespoon of Toasted Sesame Seeds