I have posted very little recently. I blame it on work pressure - no time to think, no motivation to do some fun things.

Today I had two really fun experiences. The first has nothing to do with "food fun" but was special for me as I enjoy nature generally and am very interested in birds of prey.

There is a small fruit and vegetable patch in my garden where I have strawberries, garlic, redcurrants and onions. I was standing next to a tumbling composter about one metre away from a laurel bush. Two birds shot past at head height between me and the laurel. The first was probably a blackbird giving a warning cry. I managed to see the second which was a sparrowhawk chasing the first bird. The wings, back and tail were distinctly slate coloured and the yellow talons were clearly visible below. They then shot between my garage and a boundary fence - pigeons fleeing in all directions. Hawks have amazing abilities to manoevre and accelerate in flight.

The second experience was that a friend from church brought round a whole roe deer. I have for many years enjoyed venison - especially when in Germany - and have often picked up diced venison for stews when visiting my Dad in the Highlands. My boys have tried venison sausages and burgers on holiday in Scotland and thorougly enjoyed them. However, I have not yet roasted venison.

Today we have two venison shanks, filet steaks, a haunch and two shoulders. It took quite a while to strip the meat off the shoulders and dice it; but we look forward to the stews! My wife then made venison stock from the shoulder bones. More fun to come!