Weep if You Must

If I should die before the rest of you,

Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone.

Nor, when I'm gone, speak in a Sunday voice,

But be the usual selves that I have known.

Weep if you must,

Parting is hell.

But life goes on,

So........ sing as well. 

(Joyce Grenfell)

This is what we were doing the day Princess Diana died, twenty years ago today. Staying with friends in Cambridgeshire for the weekend, we wanted to make the most of the good weather and go out for the day. I recall coming down to find the youngest son of the house on the settee reading (I think Harry Potter) with the TV on in the background, and totally oblivious to what the newsreader was saying. 

After the initial shock (and breakfast), we went off to a huge 'car boot’ sale/fair and (probably) had a pub lunch. I recall we bought a glass-fronted bookcase that saw service in several homes, including our daughter's student lodgings and first (and possibly subsequent) flat. My friendnand I bought very nice blue check shirts for 50 pence each (Mark and Spencers seconds I think)- mine lasted for years. 

These pictures were taken somewhere picturesque. I don’t think any of us suffered any trauma or sense of personal loss, any more than when any other celebrity dies (if you exclude Freddie Mercury, which I still haven’t got over). 

The day of the funeral was different however; Salisbury, where we lived, was like a ghost town as so many people stayed home to watch the service on TV. Oddly enough I have the whole thing on CD as it was a freebie from my music club at the time. The stirring speech from her brother Earl Spencer, stands out above all other readings on the day of course but the most moving sections for me were two pieces of music; ‘Libera me’ from the Verdi Requiem and the sublime John Tavener, ‘Alleluia’ which accompanied her coffin out of Westminster Abbey.

After that came the surprising reactions of the crowds who had gathered to watch the funeral procession; and so began an extraordinary period of public sentimentality and a kind of mass hysteria. This eventually faded and things returned to some sort of normality. Unfortunately the legacy is that all too often we still see similar mawkish displays of ‘emotion’ over reported deaths, whether the deceased is known to us or not.  

When a stranger dies it is of course a sad event  for family and friends, but doesn’t require any further comment from us. No need for the ‘R.I.P.s on Facebook, and the ‘our thoughts are with the family and friends etc’ - are they? Really? Time for the stiff upper lip again perhaps. Car Boot Sale anyone?

Linking to Sepia Saturday with memories and photos of the past.

The Goats of Lanzarote

Majojero goats roam the hillsides of Lanzarote and graze quite happily on vegetation found in our volcanic landscape. 

It’s our delight when walking or climbing volcanos, to see the goats, usually grazing in herds spread across the hills, or occasionally we are amazed to watch a lone goat nimbly leaping across the rocky terrain. The goats are well cared for and managed according to strict guidelines, in large farms, as these ones near the village of Uga.

We like to climb up the Femés Ridge and see the goats, especially when the kids have been newly born. Sometimes they get themselves separated from their mothers and emit a pitiful bleating - like this one filmed by my husband. The kid's mother was only a few metres away and he quickly caught up with her.

The goats are an important part of the island economy; the meat is used in stews and casseroles, but of course it’s the milk which is most important for the goat farmer, both as a drink and for making into a variety of cheeses. 

The island is dotted with goat farms many of which sell the produce from their dairy (quesería) at a farm shop, like our favourite in Femés, not far from where we live. 

The cheese is made from goats belonging to the Queseria Rubicón, and there are several varieties to choose from. We like the semi-curado (aged for about three months ) and the curado (mature for about six months). these are rolled in different flavourings  like pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)  or gofio flour. 

If you buy a whole cheese they will shrink wrap it for you, ideal for visitors wanting a taste of Lanzarote to take back home.

The annual Fería del Queso in Playa Blanca

We have annual food fairs called Fería del Queso y la Cabra ( Cheese and Goat Festival) where it’s possible to buy a book of tickets - each worth a euro - and exchange them at the many cheese, wine and tapas stalls. There are also cooking demonstrations and stalls serving from huge paella dishes. There is live music and happy, celebratory atmosphere. Combined with our almost endless sunshine, needless to say the fairs are popular with tourists and residents alike.

Examples of some of the tapas we can exchange for a ticket. My daughter is pointing to the Queso Blanco or Queso Fresca, a young cheese, sometimes made with a mixture of goat and cow milk and served, as here with sweetened gofio slices.

The white cheese is also a main ingredient of a typical Canarian Salad, consisting of cheese, beef tomatoes, sweet white Lanzarote onions, dates and sweetcorn. 

Homemade Canarian Salad; easy to make and delicious to eat with olive oil, black pepper and crusty bread

In true Sepia Saturday tradition I have to include an old photograph. This one appears in several places around the island, often enlarged and used to decorate the walls of restaurants. I found a copy in Villa de Teguise in a traditional style restaurant called Cafetería Cejas. A caption from me would be superfluous as I think I’ve milked this subject long enough. Instead click on the link to see what other contributors made of our sepia prompt picture this week.