Prince??? Prince, where are you?
I hate waking up alone. I hate going to bed alone. I miss him. His warmth. His smell.
The alarm clock shows an early 7.54am.
He is wakening earlier and earlier. Getting older, I guess.
I get out of bed, opening the rotten shutters (I wonder how much longer they will hold on) to a marvelous morning. The sun is just wakening and the birds are busy singing a lovely sunrise song.
I find a big note stuck to the mirror - GONE FOR A WALK.
Okay, but he could have taken me too. And the dogs. Maybe he needs some time alone.
Time for me to do some house work (there is always such a mess after the weekends).
Anna arrives soon after, oh how I love the sound of her arriving car.
That's the time I get an sms: "I am at the Cafe de Paris in Sintra. It is magical. Please come and get me, I am exhausted from walking." Prince.
Taxi Anna on her way.
The day is beyond words. The sun-rays are sliding through the wet leaves like golden beams, creating a steamy dreamy atmosphere and I have to remind myself, this is home. This is where we live.
Prince is sipping tea, covered in a checkered blanket and reading his newspapers. He looks his part in beautiful Sintra. Maybe they should hire him?
I join him for a cup of herbs and then we drive on to visit another house for rent. Up in the Sintra hills it is of breath taking beauty. The location, with its open views over the villages and the Atlantic are spectacular. The gardens are worthy a Queen and so is the house. Build in traditional Portuguese design, the Quinta is part of a bigger property, a home within a home. Or shall we say Palace. DIVINE.
Prince is very excited and dazzled by the views. Imagine the sunset light he dreams. It is so inspiring... I can see the sea. Oh my Prince, a sailor at heart.
The owners are not here at the moment, they live half the year in the UK, but the sweet maid (called ANNA!) gives us the grand tour. The Quinta has 2 houses, one main and one guesthouse, which is the perfect setting for Prince's office. Everything is perfect, until we discover the total absence of any radiators. Anna smiles and shows us the fireplace. But the other rooms???, we try in our best non-existing Portuguese. She smiles again and pulls us in a storage room, full of electric heaters. Oh oh, that looks like a small fortune in heating there. Either this house is made for summers, or for people with lots of body fat. If I imagine how cold I am in our villa at the moment - with every gas heater, fireplace and 2 electric extra ones on, I will without doubt freeze here.
The Snow Queen is not my favorite fairy tale.
Shame
The Snow Queen is not my favorite fairy tale.
Shame
I guess everything good never comes together. This must be an universal law. Makes sense, otherwise earth would be Paradise? But isn't it?
Back at home it is just another house - wife day.
Anna and Anna trying to fix the unfixable.
Today, by the way, the ants have discovered my make up bag and Prince's office table is swarming with black bodies. Anna gets the sprays out and I am ready to cry.
I am now convinced that there must be a gigantic ANT-QUEEN somewhere around here, and she now has some of our food, some of my make-up, intellectual property from Prince's pc and who knows what it is, those worker ants took from my panties the other day... (DNA?)
That Queen is looking for war!
Lunch is simple: steamed veggies in rainbow colors with Greek feta. Light and healthy.
And dinner?
Prince wants simple pasta - this should be called student cooking, as it is so plain and average.
Whole wheat spaghetti with easy fast tomato sauce and rucola salad
Spaghetti (as much as you(or he) like to eat), I do 250g for 2
1 can tomatoes (if they are whole, chop into smaller pieces)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
50 ml cream
salt
olive oil
grated parmesan
fresh basil, finely chopped (optional)
1. In a big pot bring salted water, with a few drops of oil, to a boil.
2. In a frying pan heat (medium high) 2 teaspoons of oil, add the onion and garlic and sauté, till soft and translucent, but don't brown. Pour in the tomatoes and over low heat let simmer for about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the cream and some parmesan. (add the basil, if you have and if you like) Done! Cover and keep warm.
3. Cook the pasta till al dente (or to your liking), drain in a sieve, add a few drops of olive oil and swivel around the sieve. Put them back into the pot, pour the tomato sauce over it, mix and serve immediately.
Serve with more grated parmesan (to soak up that red sauce and eliminate the mess factor, that seems to be part of this strange species called MALE)
PSSST: I also purchased an oversized apron (black), which Prince can wear to keep his shirt stain-free...Because, no napkin is ever big enough!
Easy rucola salad:
1 bunch of rucola salad
1 teaspoon of Dijon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
5 table spoon olive oil
1 apple, finely diced
a handful of pine nuts, toasted (you fry them in a pan over medium low heat-no oil, no butter, just the nuts)
1. Clean and dry the rucola.
2. In a cup mix the mustard with the balsamico and then slowly pour in the oil, mixing well till you have a thick dressing.
In a wooden bowl mix the greens with the apple and the dressing. Sprinkle with the nuts.
Serve on separate plates from the Pasta.
You could add any fruit of choice instead of apple. Dry fruit is especially nice.
Of course, best to enjoy with some flickering candles (never eat dinner without a candle) nice background music (maybe Italian classics like Pavarotti or Bocelli) and a full bodied red...
Prince wants simple pasta - this should be called student cooking, as it is so plain and average.
Whole wheat spaghetti with easy fast tomato sauce and rucola salad
Spaghetti (as much as you(or he) like to eat), I do 250g for 2
1 can tomatoes (if they are whole, chop into smaller pieces)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
50 ml cream
salt
olive oil
grated parmesan
fresh basil, finely chopped (optional)
1. In a big pot bring salted water, with a few drops of oil, to a boil.
2. In a frying pan heat (medium high) 2 teaspoons of oil, add the onion and garlic and sauté, till soft and translucent, but don't brown. Pour in the tomatoes and over low heat let simmer for about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the cream and some parmesan. (add the basil, if you have and if you like) Done! Cover and keep warm.
3. Cook the pasta till al dente (or to your liking), drain in a sieve, add a few drops of olive oil and swivel around the sieve. Put them back into the pot, pour the tomato sauce over it, mix and serve immediately.
Serve with more grated parmesan (to soak up that red sauce and eliminate the mess factor, that seems to be part of this strange species called MALE)
PSSST: I also purchased an oversized apron (black), which Prince can wear to keep his shirt stain-free...Because, no napkin is ever big enough!
Easy rucola salad:
1 bunch of rucola salad
1 teaspoon of Dijon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
5 table spoon olive oil
1 apple, finely diced
a handful of pine nuts, toasted (you fry them in a pan over medium low heat-no oil, no butter, just the nuts)
1. Clean and dry the rucola.
2. In a cup mix the mustard with the balsamico and then slowly pour in the oil, mixing well till you have a thick dressing.
In a wooden bowl mix the greens with the apple and the dressing. Sprinkle with the nuts.
Serve on separate plates from the Pasta.
You could add any fruit of choice instead of apple. Dry fruit is especially nice.
Of course, best to enjoy with some flickering candles (never eat dinner without a candle) nice background music (maybe Italian classics like Pavarotti or Bocelli) and a full bodied red...
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