Streuselteig from Dr Oetker

It looked easy in the packet and we had hand picked the pears direct from the tree on the golf course at Miltenberg... The pears looked so lonely hanging on bare branches but a golf club encouraged them to jump down - they were a bit hard and tart to eat straight away but we were patient...
We prepared the Streuselteig as directed only adding soft butter and an egg. Then I separated the mixture for the hard base, arranged the segments of pears in a circular design and then added the streusel on top... 35 minutes later it was cooked and smelled great.
Later today, we enjoyed a slice with coffee...better than any crumble I have made...and then I was told that Dr Oetker is only for people who can't cook!

Faces of the Renaissance -Bode Museum, Berlin

We queued for over an hour, very early on an extremely cold Sunday morning. It was the last day and I was lucky to be able to have my coffee delivered to me in the queue. But it was totally worthwhile. The Bode is an impressive Museum, having been recently renovated, which houses some amazing sculptures. They were limiting entry to this exhibition to 300 people at a time, which was appreciated. It was quite dark as we entered - but we quickly adjusted to the low light levels. And then it was like a whole new culture emerged in front of our eyes - the wealthy who were variously beautiful and arrogant. There was a subtle change in actual painting techniques from a fairly brutal profile to the more common 3/4 view. There were also the pragmatic attempts by those who had money to show their power. And there was an enigmatic quality to the women portrayed, mostly in their youth.
But I do remember leaving thinking that life now was not that very different from life over 500 years ago. Money is power and power can corrupt... but they had a lot of fun enjoying the process....

Gerhard Richter - A Panorama at Tate Modern

This is an impressive retrospective of a living artist - one considered by other artists, to be the greatest living painter. There were 14 rooms of contrasts, contradictions, continuities and creativity. I was impressed by his journey from Dresden, where he was born in 1932 and left in 1961, through Duesseldorf to Cologne. There seems to be a logical development of his talent which mirrors his significant personal experiences. Perhaps he was too young to fully understand the dreadful and futile bombing of Dresden - but he seems to have taken on a duty to represent what happened during and after the war, with the building and fall of the Wall, without showing any emotional connection or commitment. He is an impassive reporter than can paint to a photographic level, but often chooses to blur reality to soften the effect and distance the viewer.

He experiments logically with colour and texture. From the 3 basic colours he systematically developed 1092 different shades, and then repeated each one 4 times in a random manner in a giant grid - skilful and spectacular. In the same room we saw grey painted glass, and a large finger painting begun as blobs of paint on a canvas.

Later we saw abstract colour explosions, small and large, using different sized brushes and sponges. There seemed to be an increased raw energy in his later life, although he kept reflecting what was happening in the world through an impressive collage of paintings matched to newspaper texts of the beginning of the Iraq war and a stunning painting of the collapsing twin towers.

I came away impressed with his analytical creativity and his breadth of capabilities, but without a strong emotional connection to him or his life. Perhaps emotions had to be controlled to survive and focus on developing his paintely skills... and it was good to enjoy continued birthday celebrations with Steph - coffee and lunch in the Friends Room and a convenient drive to and from London.

3rd birthday celebration - Caldesi in Campagna

We are captivated by the small community of Bray - quite a nonchalant yet quaint village just minutes away from junction 8 of the M4 - but hiding some superb restaurants. The Hinds Head has been a favourite for better than average gastro pub fare. So it was my birthday that provided the excuse to try the italian Caldesi in Campagna. Katie and Giancarlo offered a very personal invitation on the website and it was mirrored in the a la carte menu. The italian staff represented an extended virtual family and their attitude and service was by far the best I have experienced in England. We were also lucky to participate in the Frescobaldi Fortnight, during which Paola Rocchi had left her restaurant in Montalcino to cook in Bray. Choosing what to eat was a challenge - so we were both influenced to try Paola's Tuscan cooking. I indulged in an eggplant and mozarella starter followed by a 5 seafood stew with superbly buttered mashed potato. Markus began with pasta, followed by braised beef and black kale. We were recommended matching wines with each course and finished with an expresso which was accompanied by slivers of home baked almond bread, marshmallow and a chocolate mint slice.
It was a superb culinary experience, and we felt like visitors rather than customers, especially when Giancarlo came round to say goodnight...what a treat!

The Ides of March - nothing really changes

Corruption, politics, greed... has the human race evolved any from the scheming and backstabbing culminating in the assassination of Julius Caesar over 2000 years ago?
Perhaps we think we are more civilised now, able to focus on liberal principles, saving the environment and sharing resources ethically... It also helps when George Clooney plays the cool, calm and charming Governor who is competing in the Democratic Primaries. But as the movie unfolds, it becomes obvious that we are all fatally flawed and that inevitably the wheel turns so that principles must be compromised in order to survive. The classic guises of sex, bribery, egos and blackmail all conspire in a surprising but ultimately predictable way to ensure that the 'good' behave badly, yet survive using the same language but now devoid of any real meaning. On one level life goes on but underneath everyone is at it, scheming, plotting, flying, falling ... and we all know that those at the top now have replaced yesterday's leaders, but will just as quickly be replaced by their own ignorance and stupidity...
Quite a dark thriller that is a depressing reality check

2nd birthday celebration - Brasserie Blanc

Raymond Blanc describes his Brasseries (apparently there are nine of them now - but I will always prefer Oxford) as a place for relaxed enjoyment and home cooking...
He is a genious and his attention to detail is completely consistent - superb environment, great photos and art on the walls, professional and friendly service, great presentation and of course fantastic french cuisine... it is one of the few totally dependable gastronomic experiences in Oxford.
It was wonderful to catch up with Steph - and it was a nice alternative to our usual film and bite to eat evenings. We enjoyed our starters; a potted hot smoked salmon with horseradish cream and a baby gem salad with anchovy dressing. The mains were a very manageable size; pan fried place with mashed potato and fresh vegies, and a smoked haddock and gruyere fishcake with creamed leeks. We even decided to go overboard and enjoy some indulgent desserts; I enjoyed the pineapple pavlova (really just a meringue) with pina colada sauce and Steph indulged in a steamed chocolate pudding... all beautifully complemented by french sauvignon blanc and rose... a lovely relaxing evening out in Oxford...

my 1st birthday celebration -The Fish at Sutton Courtenay

It was so good to be able to meet up with Karen at The Fish - a wonderful traditional pub just south of Oxford, managed by a friendly French team... just taking time out of busy lives is so important...
The menu was simple but inviting - another menu that I could have almost closed my eyes and randomly pointed and I would not have felt disappointed - in essence it all sounded good!
We decided to share our starters - I decided on the crispy duck salad with cucumber, spring onion and hoi sin sauce and Karen opted for the avocado salad with home smoked chicken and prawn mayonnaise and I am not sure which one I enjoyed most...
Then for main course I chose the real treat than I could never prepare at home - seared venison on a bed of buttery mashed potato with some great long green beans, peas and carrots - all home cooked vegies which I never bother with on my own... and I was not too envious of Karen's seared scallops and leek risotto, which looked fantastic. We drank glasses of french beaujolais and cabernet sauvignon... all good for a fun catch up in a suitably busy atmosphere...