It's been a while...

*quietly re-enters the room*

Welcoming Autumn with this Apple Galette from Baking with Dorie

First of all, I want to say a big hello to everyone who subscribed since March when I took a break. You might be wondering why I have been so silent and, in fact, why you subscribed at all if I don’t write anything. In fact, I used to write this newsletter at least once a month, for many years (pre-Substack) but the last couple of years were a bit turbulent (not “myself” for a while followed by emergency brain surgery and my mum’s unexpected passing in the space of less than a year) and I have had to take a bit of a back step while I recover and grieve.

I’ve managed to continue with some posts on my original blog (est. 2009!) and have been active on Instagram, but the newsletter and most of my recipe development has had to be shelved until I had more capacity. Screen time is not my friend these days so I have to do it in small doses. I’m also definitely not where I was in terms of energy (HOW did I have more energy with a clementine-sized tumour pressing into my frontal lobe for many years?) but I wanted to start to take some baby steps back into more things that I love, like writing, so here I am. For now, it’s just a short missive to get back into the swing of things (and it’s taken me over a week to get this written in shot bouts) BUT I’m introducing a new monthly feature every third Friday so please stay tuned!

Today I wanted to share a few things that have helped me work through trauma and grief over the past year…

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Running (for my life)

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I was a latecomer to running, starting when I was 47 and I quickly became hooked. My dad has been a runner all his life and I could never relate - I never thought I liked it (or could be any good at it) but it turns out I do! When I started to become really unwell in early 2023, this was one of the “weird symptoms” - I just couldn’t run very fast (I mean, I’m not the fastest anyway but literally felt like I was wading through molasses, for months). Turns out the placement of my tumour affected my muscle strength which makes sense now but at the time I couldn’t understand why I was not improving (if you’re interested, here is an infographic which shows what the frontal lobe affects, it’s wild - and explains a lot).

Sitting in my hospital bed in May 2023, I wondered if I would ever run again (dramatic but true!) but this has actually been one of the “easiest” things to see improvement in terms of physical recovery. Starting slowly and cautiously in August 2023 (with a new running partner, shoutout to Neil!), I worked my way back to a half-marathon on May 5th 2024, one year to the day after my craniotomy. Running is a balm for me - it’s quiet, it tires me out physically so I sleep better and it makes me feel energised. Strangely, my head, which feels weird most of the time still, is not bothered by the movement. Thank goodness! Neil and I have run a few other races this year (including another half-marathon for me in October) and have no plans to stop anytime soon.

Running doesn’t replace therapy but it sure goes a long way to contribute to my well-being.

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Back to basics - Geoff cooks and bakes

When my mum died unexpectedly in January, my dad, at age 80, had to learn how to cook. Mission Impossible? Not at all! As someone who has spent the better part of the last 15 years teaching children (and adults) to cook, this was right up my alley. Dad had enjoyed five star meals (seriously, mum was an amazing cook and baker) for 60 years so he had a pretty broad palate and likes *most* things (salads excepted - I am trying to convince him that there IS such a thing as an exciting salad… watch this space!).

I’ll write more on this at another time but teaching him the basics and watching as he tackles way more complex dishes than I imagined he ever would has brought me such joy. He now has a repertoire of about a dozen dishes that he feels confident making - including a handful of sweet recipes and he’s doing so well. I’ve gifted him a few cookbooks and a knife skills course and we meet a few times a month on Zoom.

He’s even learning to plate things - case in point the chili pictured above - the night before he made this, we made a salad together and he had unceremoniously dumped all the ingredients on the plate and I chided him for sloppy plating. Then he went all fancy on me with this chili! Stay tuned for more tales of teaching dad how to cook. Mum would be so proud <3

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(yep, I read an eclectic mix of books!)

I’m library people (how I rediscovered my love of reading and the library)

When I first came out of the hospital, screen time was discouraged so I started reading physical books again. I’d been reading on an e-reader for many years but not much (especially in the year leading up to my surgery - it was all I could do to make it through the day, let alone read more than a couple of paragraphs at night) so having months of recovery time last year allowed me to really take advantage of our wonderful public library system. Over the past 18 months, I’ve re-discovered my love of reading - I read over 100 books last year and am getting close to that already this year. Do I always read “serious” books? No! I read someone’s “year in books” a while back where they said that they could have read more books if they had padded out their list with murder mysteries and such. That seems harsh (and silly!) to me because, hey, sometimes you just need a fluffy romance or a page-turner of a psychological thriller to read in a weekend!

Want to know what I am reading? Follow me on GoodReads! I’ve made it a goal this year to post a review of each book I read, even just a few sentences.

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I can do hard things (aka: Camino del Norte 2024)

After finishing walking the Camino de Santiago in the summer of 2022, five of us walked from San Sebastián to Bilbao along the Camino del Norte this summer. It was… challenging! I wrote up each day of the 6-day trek on my blog if you’re interested if reading about the HARDEST walk I’ve undertaken (and that includes all other sections of the Camino Francés). Reader, there was a day when we walked 28km in muddy hills…

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links you might like (yay! they’re back!)

eat

Jacques Pépin’s Ideal Last Meal Would Be Only 2 Basic Ingredients via Tasting Table

Spoiler: it involves (French) butter ;)

On that note - what would YOUR last meal be?

live

A French Veterinary Psychiatrist Puts Cats on the Couch via The New York Times

a book by a jovial Parisian veterinary psychiatrist has steadily climbed the French best-seller lists. Just translated and published in the United States, Claude Béata’s “The Interpretation of Cats” puts cats on the couch — as well as their human companions.

I mean, who doesn’t want to read a book written by a jovial veterinary psychiatrist? ;)

The Beauty of a Walk and Talk via The New York Times (article unlocked).

When we’re walking with another person, Parker said, the social norms around silence and talking tend to shift. “It’s OK to take a beat, which is its own kind of intimacy,” she said. “Some of the best and most random conversations often happen after long periods of silence.”

As well as running, walking has been so therapeutic for me over the past year, especially. I’ve always loved a walk but catching up with a friend whilst walking is even better.

travel

The 20 Best Cities to Live in the World via Forbes. I love that this list includes my city of birth, current home city and my dad’s current home city! Where would YOU want to live from this list?

write

Stop buying shitty cookbooks via Local Bread Baker (Olga Koutseridi).

The problem is that people who have nothing to sell are flooding the market with meaningless crap.

Ouch! Harsh … or … what do you think? This “short diatribe” was a thought-provoking read (I hope my cookbooks don’t fall in this category!). I have noticed a lot more aspirational cookbooks pop up in recent years - ones that “remind you of everything that is missing in your life” and that look pretty but which you’d never cook from). But cookbooks are selling so… if they write it, people will buy it?

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join me for a cooking class - plus a discount for you!

I’ve been slowly getting back into in-person cooking classes this year and have one last day of classes in 2024 coming up at the beautiful St Lawrence Market Kitchen in Toronto on Saturday December 7th - Secrets of Choux Pastry and Entertaining, the French way for the holidays! I’m offering newsletter subscribers a small discount on ticket prices - use NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIBER at checkout.

For more details and to purchase tickets, click here.

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buy my books

Don’t have my books yet? They make great gifts… hint, hint… ;)

French food made easy … for everyone!

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rent our holiday home in southwest France!

“We spent two weeks in Nérac at this fully-equipped, centrally-located home. It is within walking distance of everything, including the canal, stone bridges, museums, parks, historic churches and of course restaurants and local shopping. (and if you are there on a Saturday, a huge outdoor market is a 5-minute walk away). We enjoyed all the features of this home and especially the patio. We sampled all the food and wine the French are known for. We also joined the locals in playing Pétanque at the square just up the street. Would highly recommend!

~ guest review, October 2022

Our charming house in Nérac, halfway between Bordeaux and Toulouse, is in the heart of Gascony. Book ahead!

Thanks for reading and for your patience as I get back on my feet.

I’ll be back next Friday with a new feature!

Mardi xo