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Sunday, 10 April 2011

This year I might not get ryegrass staggers, if I'm lucky and if I drink all my haddock cocktail.

I love Pimms.  It's all right, it's a purely legal and not at all indecent form of love (not, in other words, the same emotion I feel when confronted with, say, Tony Robinson).  There's something so essentially Summery about drinking strong liquor laced only with lemonade.  I know, traditionally, one drinks it with cucumber and strawberries but we didn't have any in the fridge, so I thought I'd experiment with some alternative additives...Anyone else for a haddock, cheese and Pimms cocktail?  .  Apparently you're also supposed to have mint in it, but, let's face it, if my fridge doesn't have cucumber then it's not going to have mint, is it?  Mint sauce is nearly as good though.  For reference.



I always know that summer has truly arrived when the local Co-Op starts stocking Pimms, just as I know that the new school year has started by the way they fill the shelves with Christmas puddings, and that Christmas is truly on the way when the Easter Eggs hit the stockroom. 





You'll have to imagine the haddock.  I can't find a picture of a Pimms-and-haddock cocktail. 

So, here I sit, in my garden surrounded by hopeful cats, sipping at my fish-and-fruit cup and gazing around me at those tell-tale signs that summer has arrived - the annual underwear-wash hanging (somewhat stiffly) from the line, the phallic rhubarb sprouts protruding through the soil like underground flashers, and the annual Lawnmower wars breaking out elsewhere in the village.  And, since we are not going on summer holidays this year but are, instead, going to crouch behind the sofa for a fortnight, we need all the sunshine we can get. Last year was so unsunny that I actually caught several sheep-diseases and the vet was up all night with me.

So I shall release you, my dears, into the sunshine where you may skip and play like unto young gazelle.  But don't knock over the Pimms, I'm not made of Stilton...

9 comments:

Andrew Culture said...

I know summer has arrived when my local co-op puts up their sign requesting that gentlemen are fully clothed when shopping!

Kath said...

Argh! You've started something now. Squizzey says we should have some haddock and Amaretto this evening... What's that, Squizz? ... You meant I could have the haddock and you could have the amaretto? Pfft. We'll see about that, mate!

Elizabeth Currie said...

I'm 'Foxed'! Haddock & Pimms? Together? Hmmm. Perhaps I just read or imagined it wrong. But a challenging juxtaposition of imagery from Tony Robinson (remember my views of J Saville?), phallic rhubarb and spending the night with your vet might just have confounded me! Personally I'd vote for the vet (even the rhubarb) than Baldrick or Time Team (but then I know I'm probably prejudiced)! You may just have started a new craze (with the cocktail I hasten to add)!

Kate Johnson said...

I've heard of drinking LIKE a fish, which just goes to show you what havoc can be wrought by taking one word out of a sentence.

Mike Jarman said...

What a find! I will look nowhere else for epicurean adventures. Thanks Jane for making my morning sunny!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

You can't have a summer without lashings of Pimms on tap. Well, maybe not quite on tap, that would be greedy, but definitely jugs of the stuff is required.

Talli Roland said...

Yay for Pimms! My favourite summer drink, although it took me awhile to get over the fact that it had CUCUMBER in it.

Mint sauce? Must try that next time!

Laura Tyrrell said...

I would really like to try a Pimms now

Mammy DoLittle said...

Me too:)