British Open Saturday...July 17, 2010

...and I was playing !

Well, I was actually playing at Rye Hill Golf Club near Susies, but as I walked around the course I could hear Peter Alliss commenting on my game.   "Oh, there's a lovely shot" and  "..that should have gone in...what a pity" and "...he's making a real pigs ear of this hole"

The Rye Hill Course is about 5 minutes from Bloxom, and I have played it twice before. Once about 7- 8 years ago with rented clubs...and last Saturday. As this area  has not seen a lot of rain, last Saturday the course was very dry and while there was a lot of roll, the fairways were fairly hard and bounces were highly variable.  Yesterday was much better as there had been rain during the week.

It is what I imagine to be a typical course over here,  all golfers walking, not a lot of amenities like  we see on the US courses, benches, ball-washers etc. The fairways on this layout are quite hilly with lots of sideway lies... and the rough is pretty rough.

Below is the club-house of Rye Hill. Also the link if you are interested.

http://www.ryehill.co.uk/

Photo of the Golfer.  I was alone until the 9th hole, so the camera

is sitting on top of a low tee marker.

Beautiful views on every hole

I had a few challenging lies. This one in front of the local hazard of choice,

a variety of gorse that is pretty vicious. The green is in a line directly behind the bush.

I had to hit sideways which required a delicate backing into the gorse.

Gorse up close.

Challenging lie # 2

Challenging lie # 3

(but I did get up and down in 2 !)

No houses, no rangers, no cart lady...no other golfers !  On both weeks I have just shown up on a Saturday about 11:00 am and  walked on. I pay in the pro-shop, and they just point you to the tee. No need

for a slip as there is no starter.  Except for a "honour pay" course Genya and played in New Zealand ( With a sign at the entrance that stated "Please close the gate firmly as you leave"), this is the most natural course I have played.  I imagine it to be pretty typical of the area.

I shot an 89, only lost 2 balls.

Commuting II - Cheltenham

Aside from my walk to work at  Kohler, the Cheltenham commute is the most residential. it is not particularly "old England", but I do enjoy the walk. So far I have not had a rainy day. My view may change in winter.

Below

The building on the right is my apartment. It is larger than Paris, but has no outstanding qualities except it is bigger, and has 2 rooms.  It is on a busy street.

From my street, I connect to a quiet street connecting the downtown to more of a  residential area...

Of course a roundabout.... need to be very careful crossing, look left...no...no look right first

...and then it gets pretty residential.

Past a football field...(notice the sponsor ..MIRA)

Another residential street...

Front gate....It is a working factory

...past the factory....

another boring office building.

Next blog....castles

Commuting

For the past 5 and a half years I have not driven a car on a regular basis. In Shanghai or Paris I would never consider driving. The only driving I did in "Asia" was in New Zealand.  The rest of that region intimidated me too much to even try.

Even though I lived close enough to Kohler to walk, when I lived and worked there, I mostly drove. Now that I do not have another car in Kohler, when I do go back for meetings etc,  I am walking to work most days. 

There are many theories about commuting to work. I have always subscribed to the "shorter is better" school of commuting. I have been able to pull this off by managing to live and work in small towns for most of my career. (Prescott, Brockville, Cornwall, Searcy and Kohler).  I lived far enough away from work that I felt I had to drive, but for the most part it was a short drive. I know many people who have long commutes and they say that they use the time to decompress or to prepare for the work day (that would then be "to compress"?) . In the context of short and long commute, it was always assumed that one was referring to a long or short drive.

 For about 2 and a half years in Shanghai, I could  actually walk to work. This added a further level of environmental PC to my commute. In June of 2008, we moved to an office park that was on the outer ring of Shanghai....walking was no longer an option.  This was  the last 12 months of my time there and I took the subway. I was lucky to live close to a station, and from the end of the line it was either a commuter bus provided by the  office park, or a 15 minute walk. The subway ride was about 20 minutes, and usually not to crowded as I came early and left later. It was always much less busy than I would experience on a Saturday if I went shopping. So the total commute was about 35 - 45 minutes on average.

As for using the commuting time to decompress or prepare for the day, I am not sure I did. I am more of a people watcher/daydream commuter I think. I tried reading, but I am not able to read books in short spurts, I need long periods, plane trips, weekends etc.

In Paris I took a subway and a train for 12 months. The Paris route had me change from metro to RER. Daydreaming was risky as a couple of time I missed my stop...and that was hard  to do as about 80% of the people got off at the metro at the station Gare du Nord. The Paris commute was more interesting however for people watching.  Shanghai did not have buskers, beggars nor the wild variety of characters or dress that is offered by the Paris metro. A virtual feast of humanity in all its colours and shapes.

In Cheltenham, I walk again.

I thought I would share some pictures of my commutes from Paris and Cheltenham...first Paris:

This is the street outside my apartment. I am heading to the Metro. A typical Parisian street scene.

Entrance to the Metro.

My metro station. mentioned in an earlier blog, Brequet Sabin is a small station

Usually not very busy at any time of the day or night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%A9guet_%E2%80%93_Sabin_(Paris_M%C3%A9tro)

Gare Du Nord...controlled chaos every morning. this is where I change from the Metro to the RER

Getting on the RER. Only one stop on this train.

The view from my stop. Plaine de Stade De France. The Paris metro/rail system is amazing and  very large.

From the RER station, it is about a 15 minute walk.

I pass a small area of urban garden allotments, nice to see progress every day.

Suburban office area outskirts of Paris...where the office is located

The office building.... boring....

 And finally the entrance...

In my next blog I will share my Cheltenham commute.

Moving

It seems as though I am always running behind in this blog.  I still have lots of potential entries for our stay in Paris but we are now moving to Cheltenham in England.  Actually, I guess it would be more accurate to say that we are in the throes of moving.  Tomorrow, we fly back to Paris and Stephen will return to the UK with the rest of his suitcases at the end of the week.

So, goodbye Paris flat.... hello Cheltenham.

Outside the Paris flat

View out the window.  It's a little deceiving because normally there wouldn't be as much traffic....there was a strike taking place that day in Bastille Square and cars were being diverted. 

Having left the flat, we moved into temporary accommodations in a nearby hotel.

I thought the flat was small...

At least we had a nice view

The one picture we didn't take was of the 7 boxes that were shipped to the UK ahead of us.  It's easy to accumulate "things".  I thought Stephen was going to downsize when he left China but it seems that socks, and underwear, and shirts, and books tend to multiply in spite of good intentions.

Here are some indoor pictures of the new flat in Cheltenham.  It's a one bedroom - much appreciated after the studio flat in Paris.

I didn't mean for our laundry to show up in this picture.

View form the bedroom window.  The traffic is very close so it can be a bit noisy.

Since the above view isn't that attractive.... here's a more pleasing impression of Cheltenham.

And finally, I couldn't resist showing a picture of the birthday boy - celebrating after settling into a new apartment.

ENGLAND (redux)

May 25, 2010

Those of you who are regular readers of my blog know I like England. Even mentioned that preference again at the end of my last blog about Italy. (Speaking of which, as a result  I now  seem to have a new follower.
http://www.gattto999.it/   She states she is a young Italian writer who, in her own words "writes fables, novels and stories")
Anyway, back to England. I came over again last Tuesday and stayed thru the weekend, once again enjoying the gracious hospitality of Susie and Mike in Bloxom. I had a company car for the weekend, and after having driven here a few times before, I am getting more comfortable driving, even taking time to pull over and stop for some photographs. The weather was perfect and everything is in bloom. The canola fields make a perfect contrast to the  deep greens of spring.  (As my Canadian readers  may know, the original name for canola was rapeseed, however I can only assume the name upset a number of people (for obvious reasons), so the name is now canola. I looked it up and the name canola comes from the term: CANadian Oil Low Acid). I did not know that, although I had guessed it may have had something to do with Canada.

Below - Fields of Rapeseed

Picture below : This is typical of the roads on the way to Bloxom from Cheltenham. While it is only about 39 miles beteween the two places, there are a lot of villages along the way. (Bourton on the Water, Chipping Norton). I stopped and pulled over when I took the picture, I was not driving, despite how this may look.

 

 I am  returning  to Cheltenham on June 2nd with Genya. We will remain in England until the 7th of June. In the interest of full disclosure, I am moving to England (Cheltenham) in June. So we will be looking for a place to live in Cheltenham versus a place in Paris.  Initially we will move into a service apartment, but I am trying to find something less expensive and hopefully larger. We move out of the Paris apartment on May 29th, and then into a hotel for the remainder of the time.

As I said, it was  a lovely weekend, so I went for a walk and took some pictures.

This is Bloxom from the footpath near Susies.

The "Old Bakery" in full bloom in Bloxom.

In Susies garden with Jessie.

Mike heading out for a Sunday ride on his bike.

We are expecting cooler weather across Europe later this week, which will be a bit of relief, as my apartment does not have air conditioning, and we have to do packing for the move!

ITALY

May 16th, 2010

I just came back from 4 days in Italy. I spent a day in the Milan area, then two days near Reggio Emelia. Kohler has a facility there, and it was my first visit to this part of Italy.  Reggio Emilia has as one of its claims to fame the fact that in January 1797, the current Italian flag was first flown there. The other reason the area is famous is food. Reggio is close to Milan, the other major center close by is Bologna.

I stayed in a local bed and  breakfast, an old farm that has been converted to a 9 room B&B.  The rooms were huge, the views lovely and breakfast fresh and plentiful. (to be honest, plentiful would describe all  the meals I had in Italy)


My room.

On Saturday we had some free time before we had meeting in Bologna. So, in the morning we went to visit places where some of Reggio Emilia’s most famous products are made...Parmesan Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar. Actually, the proper name of the cheese made here is Parmigiano Reggiano.

Cheese

We went to the cheese farm first as that process begins early,  as soon as the fresh milk arrives (We decided NOT to start at the very beginning, as milking took place at 4:30 am). It takes almost 160 gallons of milk to make one wheel of Parmesan cheese. The fresh milk from the morning is mixed with the cream separated from the evening milking.

The milk is heated in copper vats, and a whey starter is added, then rennet, a natural enzyme from the stomach of suckling calves. That is it, after that it is the skill of the cheese maker and time, at least 24 months curing to be called Parmigiano Reggiano

The cheesemaker at work. On average they make only 16 - 18 new "wheels" of cheese every day. There are only 9 people employed in the entire operation, but they do everything from growing the hay, raising the cows, feeding, milking and finally cheese making. As the operation uses fresh mik, it operates every day. To be certified everything must be totally organic. The cows receive no supplements in their feed, the hay is not sprayed with any chemicals. They use special cleaning materials in the cheese making operations that are chemical free.

The product just before it is put into the mold.

Once in the mold, the cheese ( finished products are called wheels) sits in a salt bath for about 20 days, then they are taken to a storeroom where they stored for a minimum of 24 months. In the storeroom the wheels are turned every two weeks. At the same time a thin layer of the surface is buffed off to ensure the outer edges of the cheese do not harden and block the natural air and climate to keep the natural curing going.  The product is embossed with the makers label, and after storing a minimum of 12 months gets certified with a stamp. It can then be sold as a more common version of Parmesan, but not as Parmigiano Reggiano, that takes  another 24 months at least. We saw some wheels that were over 36 months old.  .

There were about 4800 "wheels" of cheese in the storeroom. Depending on the age and the reputation of the cheesemaker, wheels can sell for about 600 - 1,000 Euros each.
 
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/323862456VcHrrv?start=12
 
If you really want a tour, above link  is webshot from 2005 outlining all the steps.
 
 
Balsamic Vinegar
 
Our next stop was at a small facility in a local village that makes Balsamic Vinegar. This is not the balsamic vinegar you see in your local grocery store. This is the authentic version, sold only through speciality shops. (His Canadian distributor is located in Ottawa)
 
http://www.acetaiapicci.it/enindex.htm
 
You can go to the website if you really want the details.
I thought 2 years was a long time to wait for cheese, this product can take up to 25 years !  Basically it is wine that is cooked  over a direct fire.  The cooked wine is put in a series of barrels, each of a different wood.  The best place to store the barrels are in a loft or upper levels of a barn/house. This product needs to experience the seasons. Over time aging in barrels of different woods and evaporation causes it to turn to vinegar. Bottles of the best and oldest sell for over 100 Euros at the producer, twice that at retail!  Like the cheese maker, it takes a lot of wine to make a little vinegar. He does sell some of his product at 10 years and older. While we mainly use balsamic vinegar in salads, they recommend it only as a flavoring in cooking, and used sparingly. The older vinegar is in fact a syrup, and is best used in drops on fruit, cheese and ice cream.
 
The picture below is of the resting area for the batteries of vinegar. Minimum of 5 barrels per battery. Every year 10% is replaced in each barrel to replace evaporation. So the oldest barrel in the battery gets its 10% replacement from the next youngest barrel. As a result, each barrel in the battery gets smaller as the product gets older.
 
 

 
 
A couple of  things I reflected on after these visits:

• Neither placed charged for their time.  These were not "corporate" tours, but an informal walkabout with the owner, we just dropped in!  We spent a good hour at each location, and in both places the owner took the time to talk to us, walk us thru the process, answer questions. In the cheese factory we even got a tour of the barns, (all the cute newborn calves) etc. In the balsamic vinegar house, the owner pictured in the web site was our guide. It is a two person operation, plus his wife and daughter helped at grape harvest (yes, he grows his own grapes)
• These are craftspeople as much as sculptors, painters, boatbuilders etc. They take immense care and pride in producing an absolutely authentic product. Both are involved in local associations and are certified judges in their respective areas.  They love what they do.
• While both take a long time to produce, Mr. Picci from the Picci vinegar site amazed me. He basically took over from a hobby his father had and started a business. As it took over 20 years to get enough product in the pipeline to support him, he spent 20 years as a commercial airplane  pilot while building his business (or actually waiting for the wine/vinegar to become ready for market). He told us that in the past in the Reggio area, when a child was born in a family they would start a battery for that child so when they got married , they received a barrel of the product as a starter for their family.
• The rhythm of these peoples lives is so different than what I experience every day.  They work in a traditional manner, using techniques that are centuries old. They are dedicated hard working craftspeople who take such a joy in what they do they take an hour out of their Saturday to explain what they do to strangers.
• Lest you think these are a version of European hippies escaping from the world, fear not. Both driveways had late model Mercedes in the driveways, computers in the offices. Both run serious  businesses that have international  reputations. They just do it on a scale that is easy to appreciate, and with a level of integtity to their craft that I admired.

I think I once said I really like England. I now really like Italy.